I have loved this series so much. I grew up in a (what i thought of as) very small family compared to others I knew of. I knew I had one 2nd cousin two grandmothers, two pairs of aunts and uncles and our family unit of five. Our family (being of the alcoholic variety) didn't talk about anything...not even the weather! So I never asked questions...just assumed this was all normal. I never felt love from my mother, and assumed it was because I was the middle child. My father and brother both committed suicide, and by the time I was 34 my mother had died of cancer. I became the single mom "matriarch" of my family (3 children). Everyone (except 2nd cousin) had passed away. Then along came Ancestry.com and 23 and Me. Wow. I have over a thousand cousins! I'm in pretty close touch with two. I discovered that my own mother's brother committed suicide when she had recently given birth to me (possibly accounting for lack of bonding and attachment). I found out a lot of weird things too, and unexplainable things, but it all gave me a sense of history...to those who had passed and those who are still alive that I will never meet. I may have mentioned this on your newsletter before. There is a movie that had a great impact on me..."Antwone Fisher." In this movie, a man who thought he was alone on the planet, having been abused by foster parents and then discarded, is running through a field and sees a white barn. As he draws closer, the barn doors open and there is a crowd of people in the barn setting a table for a big feast. They are smiling at him and seem welcoming. What I didn't notice until the scene played a second time was that the folks were all dressed in various styles of clothing depicting different times in history. These were his family already passed. They knew him. They were happy he was there with them. Powerful moment for me. I think we have more to look forward to than we know.
Yes, Antwon Fisher is one of my favorites, reflecting how many of us, but especially Black Americans, felt disconnected from our histories. That is, until the TV series Roots aired in the late 70s reminding us that we all come from somewhere. I think there is still a great sense of loneliness in the current world due to the sense of disconnection despite the internet’s ability to create networks of communities. That's because each of us needs to actively participate in the creation of meaning by exploring who we are, where we come from, and where we are going.
DNA is an interesting tool, but for me what's more interesting are the stories passed on from generation to generation, tales told by people I knew about people we both knew as well those about who I did not know, and also how each tale revealed something about the teller. Later, I often realized they revealed something about me too, particularly when they pointed to unexpected intergenerational patterns.
I have loved this series so much. I grew up in a (what i thought of as) very small family compared to others I knew of. I knew I had one 2nd cousin two grandmothers, two pairs of aunts and uncles and our family unit of five. Our family (being of the alcoholic variety) didn't talk about anything...not even the weather! So I never asked questions...just assumed this was all normal. I never felt love from my mother, and assumed it was because I was the middle child. My father and brother both committed suicide, and by the time I was 34 my mother had died of cancer. I became the single mom "matriarch" of my family (3 children). Everyone (except 2nd cousin) had passed away. Then along came Ancestry.com and 23 and Me. Wow. I have over a thousand cousins! I'm in pretty close touch with two. I discovered that my own mother's brother committed suicide when she had recently given birth to me (possibly accounting for lack of bonding and attachment). I found out a lot of weird things too, and unexplainable things, but it all gave me a sense of history...to those who had passed and those who are still alive that I will never meet. I may have mentioned this on your newsletter before. There is a movie that had a great impact on me..."Antwone Fisher." In this movie, a man who thought he was alone on the planet, having been abused by foster parents and then discarded, is running through a field and sees a white barn. As he draws closer, the barn doors open and there is a crowd of people in the barn setting a table for a big feast. They are smiling at him and seem welcoming. What I didn't notice until the scene played a second time was that the folks were all dressed in various styles of clothing depicting different times in history. These were his family already passed. They knew him. They were happy he was there with them. Powerful moment for me. I think we have more to look forward to than we know.
Yes, Antwon Fisher is one of my favorites, reflecting how many of us, but especially Black Americans, felt disconnected from our histories. That is, until the TV series Roots aired in the late 70s reminding us that we all come from somewhere. I think there is still a great sense of loneliness in the current world due to the sense of disconnection despite the internet’s ability to create networks of communities. That's because each of us needs to actively participate in the creation of meaning by exploring who we are, where we come from, and where we are going.
DNA is an interesting tool, but for me what's more interesting are the stories passed on from generation to generation, tales told by people I knew about people we both knew as well those about who I did not know, and also how each tale revealed something about the teller. Later, I often realized they revealed something about me too, particularly when they pointed to unexpected intergenerational patterns.
Indeed, a fascinating list of resources too, thank you so much! https://www.mdpi.com/journal/genealogy/special_issues/Family_Historians This is incredible. Without the academic background in this area I've been dabbling at the edges looking for this kind of work. Thank you!
You’re welcome.